KELOWNA – Study time for water engineering technology
student Dave Swityk could mean hitting the books on campus at Okanagan College.
Or it could mean a day on the job taking groundwater samples or stream gauging,
or perhaps core logging at a mine site in northern British Columbia.

Co-op
programs connect post-secondary students with paid on-the-job work experiences
related to their fields of study. Each co-op program requires the student to
complete a certain number of work terms and a certain number of academic terms,
leading to a certificate, diploma or degree at the undergraduate or graduate
level.

By
the time Dave gets his diploma in water engineering technology, he will have
completed four academic semesters and three work semesters.

Co-op
programs give students the opportunity to make some money while they apply
their classroom studies in a practical environment, and the work experience
establishes connections which help them land jobs once they graduate. The
students meanwhile bring new ideas and perspectives to the workplace, and
employers get a chance to take a good long look at potential future employees.

Currently,
17 B.C. public post-secondary institutions are running about 174 unique co-op
programs in a wide range of areas from business administration, computer
information systems and biotechnology to automotive service, economics,
kinesiology and creative writing.

To promote
awareness of the value of co-operative education, the Province has proclaimed
March 19 to 23, 2012 as “Co-operative Education Week”.

Why
It Matters:

Over
the next decade, more than a million jobs will be available in British Columbia
and three-quarters of them will require some post-secondary training. Co-op
education programs make post-secondary education more relevant by giving
students practical work experience related to what they’re learning in class,
better preparing them with the skills and connections they need to fill high
demand jobs in British Columbia. Ensuring British Columbians are trained for
the jobs of tomorrow is a key piece of the BC Jobs Plan.

Quotes:

Naomi
Yamamoto, Minister of Advanced Education –

“As we celebrate
Co-operative Education Week, I’d like to thank the thousands of employers
around the province and all the faculty and staff at our public post-secondary
institutions who make these programs possible.”

“Co-ops
are building today’s students into the skilled, job ready, mature and confident
workers who will drive our communities and our economy into a prosperous
future.”

Dave
Swityk, second-year co-op student at Okanagan College describing work term with
Knight Piésold Consulting –

“Since
being here I have been doing groundwater sampling, well development and steam
gauging. This job is exactly the career I was looking for.”

“We’ve
hired several water engineering technology co-op students as full-time employees.
Just think of the co-op experience as your extended interview.”

Jim
Hamilton, president of Okanagan College –

“Co-op education is a
vital option for many of our students. Not only does it meet student needs in
terms of real-world experience, it provides a real benefit in improved learning
outcomes. It benefits employers by offering them graduates who already have
experience in their chosen field.”

Quick
Facts:

·In
2011:

oApproximately
10, 280 co-op placements were made by B.C. public post secondary institutions,
an increase of 2.3 per cent over 2010.

oMore
than 4,700 employers hired co-op students for work terms.

o65
per cent of work placements were in the region local to the institution.

o67
per cent of placements were in the private sector.

oThe
average monthly salary for co-op students was $2,580.87.

oMore
than 360 placements were with the provincial government and more than 1,600
placements with provincial agencies in positions as diverse as communications,
forestry, engineering and business administration.

·The
universities that have co-op programs are: Capilano University, University of
the Fraser Valley, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Simon Fraser University,
Thompson Rivers University, University of British Columbia, University of
British Columbia-Okanagan, University of Northern British Columbia, University
of Victoria and Vancouver Island University.